TAIP: The Chinese army sent 39 planes and three ships to Taiwan in a 24-hour show of force directed against the island, Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Thursday.
China’s military harassment of self-governing Taiwan, which it claims is its own territory, has intensified in recent years, with the Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army sending planes or ships to the island almost daily .
Between 6 a.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday, 30 of the Chinese planes crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial border once tacitly accepted by both sides, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.
Those planes flew to the southwest of the island, then horizontally to the southeast side before turning back, according to a flight pattern diagram provided by Taiwan.
Among the aircraft were 21 J-16 fighters, 4 H-6 bombers and two early warning aircraft.
Taiwan said it was monitoring Chinese movements through its land-based missile systems, as well as on its own navy ships.
The Chinese military held major military exercises in August in response to American house visit of speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
Beijing sees foreign government visits to the island as de facto recognition of the island as independent and a challenge to China’s claim to sovereignty.
In its biggest military exercises targeting Taiwan in decades, China regularly flew ships and planes through the median of the strait and even fired missiles over Taiwan itself that ended up landing in the exclusive economic zone of Japan.
China’s military harassment of self-governing Taiwan, which it claims is its own territory, has intensified in recent years, with the Communist Party’s People’s Liberation Army sending planes or ships to the island almost daily .
Between 6 a.m. Wednesday and 6 a.m. Thursday, 30 of the Chinese planes crossed the median of the Taiwan Strait, an unofficial border once tacitly accepted by both sides, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense.
Those planes flew to the southwest of the island, then horizontally to the southeast side before turning back, according to a flight pattern diagram provided by Taiwan.
Among the aircraft were 21 J-16 fighters, 4 H-6 bombers and two early warning aircraft.
Taiwan said it was monitoring Chinese movements through its land-based missile systems, as well as on its own navy ships.
The Chinese military held major military exercises in August in response to American house visit of speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan.
Beijing sees foreign government visits to the island as de facto recognition of the island as independent and a challenge to China’s claim to sovereignty.
In its biggest military exercises targeting Taiwan in decades, China regularly flew ships and planes through the median of the strait and even fired missiles over Taiwan itself that ended up landing in the exclusive economic zone of Japan.
